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The Simulacrum - Chapter 110 - Part 2

"Are the coordinates locked in yet?"

Hearing Jaakobah's question, the Celestial operative controlling a magitech tool that looked like an unholy crossbreed between a cello, a harp, and a vuvuzela, shuddered in apprehension.

"We're almost done, sir. Just give me a minute."

"Every second we spend out in the open increases the likelihood that the Magi would detect our incursion. Work faster."

The unnamed grunt nodded with a groan that said he hated his job, and then start...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Chapter 7

Always follow the money

Pak. Pak. Pak.

The rhythmic sound of axe meeting firewood continued to echo in the woods. The hill in the clearing, upon which stood a lonely cottage, was especially picturesque in the first light of the early morning. At the back of the building, there was an old tree stump, most likely cut during construction and potentially even serving as raw material for the house, only to be repurposed as a chopping block. The air was warm and humid, yet the one cut...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 110 - Part 1

I knew it! I god-bloody-damn knew that the shifty old bastard was going to betray me! I knew it, and yet somehow I still didn't not trust him enough! How is that even possible!?

"This is stupid!" I growled as I let go of my head, and the archers on the catwalks readjusted their aim in response, causing me to let out a frustrated groan. "Put those bloody things down! You're going to poke someone's eyes out!"

To my momentary surprise, the Celestials started to murmur in bewilderment...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 109 - Part 4

Angie often complained about Sundays. According to her, it was the most bittersweet day of the week; you already had a day off on Saturday, so you felt refreshed, but at the same time Monday was already looming over the horizon like a sword of Damocles, always weighing on your mind. It sounded altogether overdramatic to me, but to be fair, I was always busy, regardless of which day of the week it was, so I found it hard to empathize with her plight. Was I losing out on some intrinsic part of ...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 109 - Part 3

The group date at Lake Leucippe was… well, calling it a 'resounding success' was probably stretching it a bit, but it was fine. In retrospect, there was very little of the promised 'teaching a new couple how to couple' getting done, but everyone had a nice time, and that was all that mattered. Or rather, most of us did. My disposition ended up considerably sourer than the rest's thanks to the aggravating presence of Sir Percival, but I did my best not to taint the experience for the girls. ...

All Hail Our Benevolent AI Overlords Part 4 - It's a Knighty Day

Hello, Dear Readers.  It's been a while, but since I got reminded by a comment on Royal Road, I decided to delve into the dark recesses of NovelAI's stable diffusion image generator and dig up a few presentable images.

You're welcome.

Let's start with a couple of alternatives for Arnwald. The AI really wasn't cooperative when it came to his epic side-burns, but I did the best I coul...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 109 - Part 2

Lake Leucippe was situated on a plateau on the southern side of the island of Critias. Its surface, currently completely frozen over and covered in a thin layer of fresh snow, glittered brightly in the rays of the early afternoon sun. The air was cold but fresh, and the snow-capped mountain and the brilliant blue sky painted a breathtaking background to what promised to be a memorable group date. Some could say everything was just perfect.

They would've been wrong.

"… first hold...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Chapter 6

The Economics of Resurrection

Raol's footsteps felt heavy as he gazed upon the distant walls of New Reedcourt. Back when he was alive, walls like those were reserved only for fortified border cities neighboring hotly contested territories, but if Elkayla's words were to be trusted, the mind-boggling increase in monster populations over the centuries most certainly justified their presence.

They made infiltrating the settlement considerably more complicated than he originally ima...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 109 - Part 1

"Why do you keep attending high school?"

The question made me raise a brow and glance over at Sir Percival, currently sitting on the couch in my living room in a fluffy blue bathrobe, playing on his phone, and generally acting like he owned the place. It was early in the morning, and after a whole night's of enchanting work resulting in an absolute bitch of a headache, I didn't quite have the patience for him, but it would've been odd to completely ignore him. I sent a glance at the sta...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 108 - Part 3

"O-ho-ho? So this is the 'secret base' Friedrich had told me so much about? Very impressive!" a certain portly nurse exclaimed as we stepped out of the designated 'teleport closet'. His reaction was a little overblown, considering it was only the reception area.

Frankly, I was too mentally exhausted to point that out to him, so I gestured for him to follow after me instead. It's been three days since the good 'Uncle Percy' graced us with his presence, and it had been the bane of my exis...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Chapter 5

A world of gold, loot, and high adventure

"I actually have a story like that," Raol noted while gently pinching his chin. "As a matter of fact, I had experienced it in my own skin."

"Really? Please, do tell!"

While Elkayla was busy trying to refill her fountain pen, a curious invention Raol found rather fascinating at first, the skeleton exhaled a wistful breath. Hours had flown by without them even noticing, and the self-ascribed hermitess was not only pleasant company, s...

The Simulacrum - April Fools 2023

"It was eight AM. The skyscrapers of the city, giant nails aimed at the eyes of god, painted long, parallel shadows across the landscape. The dark stripes alternating with the rays of the morning sun made my city look like a murder-hornet. Looming. Buzzing. Dangerous. The air of my office, heavy with—"

"Chief? What are you doing?"

I glanced at the girl sitting behind a nearby office desk. She was dressed modestly, with her hair in a bun, and had an old-timey typewriter in front ...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 108 - Part 2

I didn't mean that to be so dramatic, but it was made so by the uneasy silence that settled onto the room shortly after. My guest stared at me quite inquisitively for a while, and then snorted, which popped the tense atmosphere like a balloon.

"Yes. Let's do that." Saying so, Sir Percival made himself comfortable by leaning back on the couch, and for a moment I was worried he would put his feet onto the coffee table. Nothing of the sort happened, thankfully (otherwise I would've been fo...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 108 - Part 1

"Yowza! I know that they say a man's home is his castle, but this place is fortified like the Maginot line!"

Ignoring Percival's spirited exclamation, I tried my best to hold my temper under control and my mind on track. This… irritation-thing had a pretty spotty track record, but I couldn't ignore the fact that it also identified about two-thirds of the 'antagonists' I've met so far.

"Cool, isn't it?" Penny chimed in while coming back outside. She picked up a bag, and on her wa...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 107 - Part 3

It took until the third break for the misunderstanding to get cleared up, which was coincidentally around the same time Ichiko was moved over to Judy's shadow. By lobbying with my girlfriends, Penny claimed that she had already 'paid for her sins', and threatened to go on a hunger strike if her demands weren't met, ultimately forcing my hand. 

That was a bit of a scene in and of itself, but back to Ammy: after fuming all through the following class, she disappeared the moment the b...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Chapter 4

A quiet evening in a peculiar hermitage

"We're close. My house is right over there."

"I can't seem to find it."

"It's because I hid it!" the young lady declared with a proud smirk and rested a hand on her hips. "A girl like me has to protect her privacy."

She leaned forward, and just as her pose was about to get suggestive, she shuddered and hastily stood straight again. Looking oddly mortified, she sneaked a peek at the skeleton's face, but Raol was too preoccupied ...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 107 - Part 2

I think I might've already said this before, but it bore reiterating: after going through all kinds of supernatural shenanigans, going to school on a slow Monday morning felt much weirder than it was ought to be, and it doubly applied after the extra-long winter break. Since the last time we walked down the roads leading to Blue Cherry High, we had an attempted kidnapping, a fake duel, two entire tournament arcs, a big supernatural battle with all the bells and whistles and surprise-dragons, ...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 107 - Part 1

Once I came out of the shower and sat down in my room, with Cal laid across my thighs, I was hit by a tsunami of fatigue, to the point I wished I could just sleep it all off. Sadly, we still couldn't figure out what caused me to sleep through the night that one time, and it never happened since then, so I had no choice but to soldier through it the same way as usual.

"{We must reflect on your battle, young knight!}" the nosy sword declared the moment my butt touched my bed. "{I have mem...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 106 - Part 3

"{I will not, young knight!}" the sword in my hand protested, but I ignored their voice in my head and assumed a defensive posture.

Based on the blowing, swirling magical lights around the stupid old bastard, I had a feeling he wasn't kidding, a notion that was further attested by the soft warning my sixth sense was continuously sending me. It didn't warn me of any immediate danger, but it was consistently keeping me on edge, and my whole body tensed up in preparation for what was to co...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Making a friend is sometimes as easy as saying hello

"Farking courts, that thing's nimble!" the axeman bellowed even as he jumped over a fallen tree trunk. "Don't lose it!"

"Easier said than done!" the archer woman barked back and, using the shoulder of her comrade as a stepping stone, she deftly boosted herself onto a low-hanging branch. "It's over there! Argus, use your magic already!"

"I can't!" the third member of the group argued back between labored bre...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 106 - Part 2

Even though it was a Saturday, Lord Grandpa was still holed up in his office inside the underground School complex, so while I could certainly just Phase in on top of him and call it a day, the whole point of this excursion was to peacefully discuss things like reasonable adults, so I opted for the more traditional approach. Once I arrived at the designated neighborhood marked Placeholder's house, I hopped across a fence, circled around the fancy wall surrounding Blue Cherry High, and then en...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 106 - Part 1

In the end, Ammy didn't stay for too long, and after I shared a few anecdotes about what happened at the resort (and after she made me swear I would talk to Lord Grandpa about four more times), she left without too much hassle. In retrospect, I felt a little guilty about not bringing her along in the first place. The only reason why she was left out was because I knew she already had some plans with Mike, but thanks to that stupid letter, he ended up on our doorstep anyway. But then again, it...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Chapter 2

Merchant carriages and monster attacks go hand in hand

"Seriously, where am I?"

It was a question that slipped through the wandering skeleton's mouth on more than one occasion during the hours he spent wading through the underbrush of the forest. Back in the days of his youth, he had received some mandatory survival training, but it did little good for him under the present circumstances. For example, although using the way the sun was moving across the sky and observing which s...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Chapter 1

Life is fleeting, contracts are forever

The morning sun already peeked past the horizon by the time the newly reborn skeleton finished organizing the tools and resources he had at his disposal. After the initial shock passed, the first thing he did was to gather everything the old necromancer and his two skeletal minions possessed, including all the clothes and items they had on them. He let the old man retain a sliver of dignity by leaving his underclothes on him, but as for his robe...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 105 - Part 3

Was it normal to feel completely tuckered out after coming home from a vacation?

I mean, I had a relatively good time, didn't have to use my special abilities at all, and while the girls certainly kept me busy (in more ways than one), I had plenty of time to relax. With all that combined, I should've been feeling completely refreshed and ready to bat at whatever curveballs the Simulacrum was about to throw my way, yet the moment I sat down in my usual comfy chair, I felt like I never wa...

Fantasy Economics 101 - Prologue

Volume I - The Economics of Resurrection

Prologue – The Worst Way to Wake Up

The Great Lowlands. In history books, it was either considered the invaluable breadbasket of the empire, its golden wheat fields and rich orchards stretching as far as the eyes could see, or a miserable stretch of endless plains dotted with run-down farming communities. It all depended on the author, really. However, few could deny its paramount importance to the Attu-Sevrian Monarchy. The fertile l...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 105 - Part 2

Even after the incident with the 'mysterious' peeper, the hangout in our room didn't run out of steam for a while. It was almost ten in the night when the last stragglers left the place (or, to be precise, got kicked out by Elly, but let's not split hairs about it). Throw some quick clean-up on top of that, plus the girls preparing some snacks to keep our blood sugar levels up and our brains well-fed, and the clock on the wall was already inching past eleven by the time we all sat down around...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 105 - Part 1

"Why did our room become the dedicated hang-out spot in the resort?"

My dearest assistant's question sounded entirely rhetorical at first, but when I didn't answer, she looked over her shoulder with expectant eyes, forcing me to shrug.

"Beats me."

Still sitting in my lap, my girlfriend let out a thoughtful hum and faced forward again, and not a second later, the princess draped herself over me from behind, accompanied by a mirthful little giggle.

"It must be because ev...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 104 - Part 3

The invisible ninja maids were unceasingly dutiful, as usual, and despite all the zaniness our suite experienced thanks to the previous night's truth-or-dare game going for a few too many rounds, all the incriminating evidence of it ever happening were gone without a trace. I had no idea where the empty beer cans disappeared, or what they used to get the mustard stains out of the bearskin rug, but everything was absolutely spotless. That said, while I didn't have to care about the cleanup, th...

The Simulacrum - Chapter 104 - Part 2

On this day, I learned something new once again. Before I had the opportunity to try one, I thought hot springs were nothing special, but then I was pleasantly surprised by them. Conversely, after being repeatedly encouraged by the men of our little group to give it a go, I finally gave in and entered the sauna, and it turned out to be a disappointing experience. I mean, it was just hot, and it made me sweaty, and while I knew it was more or less the point, I still found it mildly aggravating...